Silicon seeds are the starting material in many processes for fabricating semiconductor electronic components and solar materials. For example, a silicon seed brick may be split into multiple seeds. To produce semiconductor or solar wafers, and in particular high efficiency solar wafers, a silicon ingot may be produced by melting polycrystalline silicon in a crucible of a directional solidification system (DSS) furnace from the top down to the seeds at the bottom of the crucible. Directional solidification generally maintains the seed crystalline structure throughout the produced ingot. The silicon ingot is then machined into wafers, which can be used in a variety of electronic or solar components.
In some applications, cutting individual seeds from a cylindrical rod may be time-consuming. Further, using a band saw to cut seeds may result in a poor surface finish on the resulting seeds, and may cause irregular and/or misshapen mating surfaces on the resulting seeds.
This Background section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.